Ohio State at Texas is the game of the week and the third meeting between these two in three seasons. Kickoff is Saturday, September 12 at 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC from Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium in Austin, with College GameDay on campus that morning. Texas is a short home favorite in a game the market sees as close to a coin flip.
| Kickoff | 7:30 p.m. ET · 6:30 CT · 5:30 MT · 4:30 PT |
| TV | ABC |
| Streaming | ESPN App, Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream, Sling |
| Venue | Darrell K Royal Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin, TX |
| Pregame | College GameDay is live from the Texas campus, 9 a.m. to noon ET on ESPN |
| Free option | ABC is available over the air with an antenna |
Three Straight Years, and the Buckeyes Have Won Both
These programs had met four times in 20 years before this current run. Now they are playing for the third September in a row, counting a College Football Playoff semifinal in between. Ohio State has won the last two, and leads the all time series 3 to 2. Saturday is the sixth meeting.
| Date | Result | Site |
|---|---|---|
| Sept 10, 2005 | Texas 25, Ohio State 22 | Columbus |
| Sept 9, 2006 | Ohio State 24, Texas 7 | Austin |
| Jan 5, 2009 | Texas 24, Ohio State 21 | Fiesta Bowl, Glendale |
| Jan 10, 2025 | Ohio State 28, Texas 14 | CFP semifinal, Arlington |
| Aug 30, 2025 | Ohio State 14, Texas 7 | Columbus |
Last year’s meeting was Arch Manning’s first career road start and it did not go well for him or for Texas, which lost 14 to 7 and finished 10 and 3. Ohio State went on to win the national title. This is the return leg of that home and home.
What Each Side Showed in Week 1
Both teams spent the opener doing exactly what a heavy favorite is supposed to do. Ohio State beat Ball State 56 to 3 and did not allow a point, with Julian Sayin going 21 of 25 for 320 yards and three touchdowns and Jeremiah Smith catching eight balls for 151 yards and two scores. Texas beat Texas State 59 to 7, scored on eight of its first nine possessions and pulled Manning with the game at 49 to 7 after he went 20 of 27 for 305 yards and four touchdowns.
Neither result tells you much on its own. The one number worth carrying into Saturday is that between them these defenses gave up a total of seven points, and that the last time they played each other the combined score was 21.
The Matchup That Decides It
Jeremiah Smith against the Texas secondary is the game inside the game. Texas held him to six catches for 43 yards in Columbus last September, one of the few defenses that has managed it, and Ohio State still won because Texas could not score. If Manning has a cleaner night than he did a year ago, Texas has the home crowd and the better field position script. If he does not, this turns into another rock fight and Ohio State has shown it is comfortable there.
For the full personnel picture, see our Texas depth chart and Ohio State depth chart.
How to Watch Without Cable
ABC has the game nationally, which makes it one of the easier watches of the weekend. An antenna picks it up free in most markets.
For streaming, any service carrying your local ABC affiliate works. Fubo, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, DirecTV Stream and Sling all include it in their base packages in most regions, and several run free trials. The ESPN App also carries ABC broadcasts for authenticated subscribers.
Prediction and Odds
Line: Texas 1.5, total 48.5 as of Monday. The number has barely moved. Circa opened Texas 2, went to pick em within half an hour, then settled between 1 and 1.5, and the moneyline is close to even at Texas 115 and Ohio State 104. The total is the live number, up from an opening 47.5 with most of the wagers landing on the under.
Texas gets the primetime crowd, a full offseason of Manning at the controls and a defense that just held an opponent to seven points. Ohio State brings the best receiver in the sport and a quarterback who was more efficient than anyone in Week 1. The argument for Texas is simply that it is the same game as last year with home field flipped, and last year’s margin was seven.
Our pick: Texas 24, Ohio State 20. Texas wins and covers, under 48.5. See all of our Week 2 predictions.
The Bottom Line
Ohio State at Texas kicks off at 7:30 p.m. ET on Saturday, September 12, live on ABC from Austin, with College GameDay on site from 9 a.m. ET. Texas is favored by about a point and a half in a rematch of a 14 to 7 Ohio State win in Columbus last season. ABC is free over the air, or on any streaming service carrying local broadcast channels. The rest of the slate is on our Week 2 schedule.